


Brothers in Arms

by Miralana



Series: Murphamy Week [1]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Cannibalism, M/M, Rape, Slavery, mentions of:
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-17
Updated: 2015-08-17
Packaged: 2018-04-15 06:42:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4596753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miralana/pseuds/Miralana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gripping the gun and positioning the machine gun so that he could reach it at any time he takes a deep breath and waits for today’s horror show to be over.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Brothers in Arms

**Author's Note:**

> Title comes from the Soundtrack to "Mad Max: Fury Road".

Murphy has been sitting in his tree for about one and a half days when he hears voices.

It has been quiet for about a week now so he has spent the last few days gathering supplies and trying to talk himself into finally leaving this god-forsaken place behind.

He shifts on the branch he’s been sitting on the whole day and stretches his arm out to reach one of his guns.

The tree that has been his home for way too long is one of the few that is still green and hasn’t died so he knows that nobody will see him from down there because he is really paranoid about not getting caught by whatever roams the world now.

The voices come closer and he realises that it might be a raiding party, some guys looking for some food or a fuck, whatever sells best and he hears screams and gunshots.

And then silence.

He dares to push a small branch aside to get a look and there is a girl lying on the ground, face down, clothes ripped apart. Someone picks her up and throws her over their shoulder and Murphy isn’t sure if she’s dead or not and doesn’t know what of those would be best for her.

He tugs the branch back to where it had been, careful to do it as slow and silent as possible.

Leaning back against the tree trunk he closes his eyes and listens for more.

More men come, more people scream.

It’s just another day at the end of the world.

 

* * *

 

Now that he knows that there are people around here - that a militia might have set up camp in the near vicinity - he knows that he can’t come down.

Staying in the tree raises his chances of being found but climbing out of it and having to get through a territory that he only knows from an old map is definitely going to get him caught.

His only hope is that they’ll move before they find him.

 

* * *

 

 

It’s been four days and they’re still not gone.

Murphy has tried to climb down last night but he didn’t even made it past the treeline before seeing a flashlight and turning on his heels.

He’s never been particularly brave and especially now without Mbege or any of the others he doesn’t feel up to trying to take on some meat hunters.

So he waits and he sits in his tree and hopes – prays - that no one will find him up here.

One the sixth day when Murphy is currently carefully counting his energy bars and cans - he has enough food for about two weeks, three to four if he goes down to eating only every second day and it’s not like he needs the food up here – and he hears the screams.

Dog barking follows soon.

There have been never been dogs. It’s always the hunters and the cars but never dogs.

Murphy pulls himself up to a branch directly above him. It’s a lot more uncomfortable than his current one but he definitely won’t be seen from the ground and he stores his guns up there.

Gripping the gun and positioning the machine gun so that he could reach it at any time he takes a deep breath and waits for today’s horror show to be over.

People scream, men yell, dogs bark.

It’s the most stressful part of his day and he thinks it’s enough. He is going to try and leave tonight because he can’t do this another day.

Risking getting captured, raped, sold, killed and then eaten sounds a lot better than sitting here until they find him and let the dogs eat him.

Because that’s exactly what’s happening if he can trust the noises down there.

The men laugh.

The people scream.

The dogs bark and growl.

Murphy closes his eyes and leans back against the tree when the noises fade away, apparently moving in another direction. For about five minutes he waits and then he hears something else.

The tree shakes, leaves rustle. Someone or something is climbing up the tree.

Murphy pulls the safety of his gun down and aims.

The first thing that comes up is a head full of black curls. Then a hand and the person – the guy – is pulling himself upwards trying to get higher into the top to be shielded from prying eyes.

The guy looks up, directly at Murphy.

He raises his hand which makes him lose his balance and he falls down a few branches.

“Fuck,” the guy says and pulls himself upwards again. Apparently he doesn’t know what you do when someone points a gun at you.

“I’m trying to hide. Please don’t shoot.” He’s begging and there’s honesty in it that only comes from fear.

Murphy debates. He won’t be able to fire the gun without everyone hearing him and the guy looks like he might be telling the truth.

He clicks the safety back on and his hand back, gun on his thigh.

The guy smiles and pulls himself up.

He comes to halt on a branch on the other side of the tree, a little bit lower than Murphy.

He’s only wearing jeans and boots, knife cuts on his chest and a shaky “M” cut into his flesh. He’s got broad shoulders and a lot of muscles. He’s meat. Probably let free for sport so that the dogs can kill him and they can drag him back to the camp and eat him.

The guy thankfully doesn’t say anything else which makes him smarter that Murphy would have thought. Maybe he’s aware that it’s only one loud noise that will get them attention they don’t need. Unlikely for someone who is apparently stupid enough to get caught. But maybe he is like Murphy and was captured as a child just unlike Murphy he didn’t escape until now.

He’s debating what’s more likely when the hunting party returns. Murphy silently curses everything that he can think of and grips the gun tighter.

The guy next to him has gone rigid and has closed his eyes, apparently silently praying.

“You found them?” someone asks.

They’re close. Probably only a few feet away from the tree and Murphy knows that this is it.

This is how they find him because a dog is going to smell something or the guy is going to do something stupid.

“Seems like they tried to take the route to the mountain.”

The guy lets out some kind of relieved sigh and Murphy wants to kick him. He’s being too loud.

“Should we follow them?”

“Waste of time. They’re gonna come crawling back when they get hungry or we’ll find them in a few days.”

Someone laughs and a dog yelps – probably from being pulled along – and they leave.

It takes about five minutes before Murphy is sure but he still raises his hand to shush the guy when he opens his mouth and makes them wait another few minutes. You never know if someone might not be late.

But then it’s finally silent again and Murphy would love to put his gun away but the guy is sitting closer to his food and his backpack than he is and he is going to fight for it.

“Thanks,” the guy says and smiles. He’s got a lot of freckles under his dirty skin and there are bruises under his brown eyes.

“I’m Bellamy.” He holds out his hand and Murphy looks down on it. He is not going to fall for that trap. Bellamy could easily pull him down that way and make him fall out of the tree.

“Murphy.” His voice is a lot hoarser than he thought it would be but he doesn’t really remember the last time he spoke with someone. Theoretically he could tell Bellamy that his name is John, but he’s so used of being one half of the Murphy and Mbege team that the thought comes too late and he’s lost all interest of correcting it now.

“Thanks,” Bellamy says slowly and takes his hand away.

Murphy just shrugs and turns his head in another direction. Maybe Bellamy will leave now that the men are gone. He won’t make it far in the light when they will see him and capture him again but then he would be out of Murphy’s hair and-

But he knows know where Murphy is. And maybe he thinks telling them might save his life or give him a quick death.

Murphy narrows his eyes. Maybe he should kill Bellamy now. Throw him down the tree and then jump on his chest or his head.

It would be less painless than being killed by the militia. And it would give Murphy some time to get away because they might be busy with his corpse.

“Not much of a talker are you?” Bellamy asks and Murphy shrugs.

“Not much to talk,” he answers and Bellamy grins.

“It’s the fucking end of the world. Always something to talk about.”

Murphy shrugs again. It’s not like he remembers what is has been like before the war. His dad used to tell him about it but they ate him when Murphy was about seven and his mum had always been drugged and intoxicated to make it through the day so that she never told him anything.

“Okay then,” Bellamy says after a few minutes of silence. “Are you planning to die in this tree or what?”

He looks at Murphy and Murphy just stares back because he isn’t sure what Bellamy wants from him.

“Because I’m meeting with my sister at Beverly Beach and we can always use another hand.”

At first Murphy is confused. For all Bellamy knows he might be as crazy as the militia guys. He might try to eat Bellamy as soon as his back is turned. But then Bellamy’s eyes flick over Murphy’s shoulder and everything makes sense.

He wants Murphy’s guns. And his ammo. Probably the food too.

“I think I’m better on my own,” he says and clears his throat. He’s not sure when he last had a drop of water but it might have been a day. As soon as Bellamy is gone he’ll have to drink something.

“In your tree?” The mockery in Bellamy’s voice makes Murphy grit his teeth but he forces the anger down.

“I was gonna leave today.”

Bellamy huffs and Murphy wants to punch him in the face.

“Where too?”

Murphy doesn’t know. He entered his camp when he was a toddler and he left it with Mbege and the others years later but he has never been the one who would know where to go. And now he is all alone and there’s a small mountain on one side and too much space on every other one.

He doesn’t answer and looks down and to his surprise Bellamy doesn’t say anything else.

The more people the stronger they would be. The more people the easier they would be seen. Bellamy might kill him. But Murphy is the one with the gun so he could kill him faster. Probably. If his aim would be that good.

The sun is starting to set by the time Bellamy moves again and Murphy is so used to seeing in the dark that he doesn’t have a problem following his movements. In an hour he won’t be able to see but at the moment it’s still easy and manageable.

“I’m leaving. If you want to go, now is your chance.”

Murphy still isn’t sure. Should he or should he not? He wants to leave anyway.

What has he got to lose?

“If you try to steal from me, I will slit your throat,” he says and the smile on Bellamy’s face is almost too big to be real.

Murphy pulls the gun in his backpack and puts it over one shoulder. The belt of the machine gun goes over the other one.

Bellamy is clumsy in his attempts to get down the tree but Murphy is so used to it, knows every branch blind that he’s awkwardly waiting while Bellamy tries to find his footing.

When they’re down Bellamy keeps a safe distance from him like he realises that it’s not smart to antagonize the person with the automatic weapons.

“It’s about a 30 mile march so I’m not sure how long it will take us. Especially in the dark.” Of course Bellamy is one of those people that underestimate him. Just because he’s thin and doesn’t look like much doesn’t mean that he can’t walk. He might need some time to get used to it but he’s never had any problems keeping up so far. Mbege used to say that he’s like a cockroach. Even when you think Murphy is done for he comes back. Murphy always liked the thought.

He would survive to see a better place someday.

“As long as we’ll get out of their sight and earshot.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem.”

 

* * *

 

 

It is a fucking problem.

Of course they’re still looking for Bellamy. Of course they have guards and of course the dogs are still out and looking for their prey.

It’s dark and there are trees and Murphy has absolutely no idea if Bellamy even knows where he’s going but he can’t think about that now.

He can only think about running because the dogs are coming closer.

He jumps over a fallen tree, eyes not leaving the figure in front of him so that Bellamy can’t lose him to save his own skin.

A light shines against a tree next to him and he curses everything and especially Bellamy that he let himself be talked into this stupid escape thing.

The backpack slams against his back with every step and it’s heavy and Murphy hasn’t had to run for a long time. Walking he can do. But running?

That’s why the dogs are coming closer faster and why his lungs burn and he would like to do nothing more than lie down and get it over with.

But something in him doesn’t want to die yet, so when a dog snaps at his legs he uses the handle of his machine gun and hits it in the face.

The dog yelps and Murphy nearly runs against a tree. He braces his hands against it and pushes himself back to run past it.

Something slams in him and pushes him to the ground.

He goes face first, mud and leaves in his mouth and a hand grips his hair and slams it forward.

White stars are dancing before his eyes and a throbbing pain explode in his head.

“What do we have here?” says a voice and Murphy can’t make out what kind of person it is because his face is still being pressed into the ground and breathing is getting a little bit harder.

Someone else is coming closer, boots making fast steps on the ground and the grip on Murphy’s hair goes a bit easier before someone yells and the weight on his body disappears.

Murphy looks up and sees Bellamy standing next to him, chest heaving up and down and a tree branch in his hand that left a very impressive wound on the head of the guy.

“You okay?” he asks and Murphy nods. He’s waiting for Bellamy to take his stuff and make a run for it but he just walks over to the hunter, kicks him in the head and then rips of his jacket and shirt.

Murphy grabs the flashlight and turns it off.

“Think he was alone?” he croaks and Bellamy sighs.

“Let’s hope so.” He stretches his hand out again and this time Murphy takes it. “You good to keep going?”

His head hurts and he’s still tasting dirt on his tongue but he nods. He realises that Bellamy might not be able to see it in the dark.

“Sure. Let’s go.”

Bellamy’s hand lingers on his arm and Murphy swallows.

“Um, thanks, for you know.”

“The saving you from death and slavery?”

“Yeah, that.”

“You’re welcome.” Bellamy takes his hand away and starts running again.

Murphy thinks for a second that he should maybe offer Bellamy some of his stuff as a thank you but he’s pretty sure that that’s partly coming from the head-injury. And from not wanting to run with the heavy baggage. In the end he decides against it.

He follows Bellamy and reaches him a few seconds later where he’s slowly jogging and obviously waiting for him.

“Move your ass, Murphy, we don’t have all day.”

He flips Bellamy off and from the laugh that follows he’s pretty sure that he saw it.

But he doesn’t do anything else because there are still meat hunters, slave owners and the looming threat of at least one militia camp between them and the ocean. Not that they will be save there. But when he looks at Bellamy who throws a look over his shoulder every few minutes to check that he’s still there, Murphy realises that it could be worse.

All in all it’s just another day at the end of the world.

**Author's Note:**

> The world setting is heavily inspired by the "The Road" (2009, Directed by John Hillcoat). I was gonna do the whole zombie apocalypse thing but when I read on the post that apocalypse would be okay too, I decided to go down this road.
> 
> Come talk to me on [tumblr](http://everknowing.tumblr.com).


End file.
